Learn of True Terroir on the Robert Mondavi Winery Tour

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When you visit Napa Valley and particularly when you take the Robert Mondavi Winery tour and taste some of their perfectly crafted wines you will understand that something about the place correlates with the richness of flavor in the glass. Having its first harvest in 1966, the Robert Mondavi Winery has been producing some of the world’s finest wines ever since, using its own grapes and others from around the Napa Valley. Located in Oakville, California their plot of land is just as important as their knowledge of wine rooted in generations of experience and passion. When you visit this memorable place you won’t be able to ignore the sense of other-worldliness that will overcome you.

Terroir is a common artisan foods term coming from the french terre, which means land. Loosely summed up it refers to a sense of place surrounding a particular agricultural crop. Terroir is made up of the geography, geology and climate that interact with plant genetics to create perfect varieties. It is usually associated with high-end products known for growing in more extreme climates like coffee, tobacco, hops, tomatoes, heritage wheats and of course wine.

When visiting Napa Valley you can’t help but notice its stunning terroir. The sloping vineyards on rolling hills make up at least a dozen microclimates all known for being amenable to certain varieties of grapes. Oakville is known for producing some of the area’s most magnificent Sauvignon Blanc wines in the world. Mondavi chose to build his namesake winery on the side of the To Kalon Vineyard after noticing its unmistakable terroir. He said after “admiring its contours and vines, smelling the richness of its soil, I knew this was a very special place. It exuded an indefinable quality I could not describe, a feeling that was almost mystical.” Like him, you won’t miss it.

Robert Mondavi Winery Tours were some of the first to exist in the region. Rooted in their passion to educate people in both food and wine, they offer numerous opportunities to stretch your palate. They are open daily from 10 AM to 5 PM, where anyone can do a walk-in tasting.

Here are some other options for Robert Mondavi Winery Tours:

• Signature Tour and Tasting – A 90-minute event of walking through the vineyards and sitting down to taste wines.
• Signature Winery Tour in Mandarin Chinese – Serving the international tourists is a large commitment for these first-generation vintners.
• Discovery Tour – This is a great walking tour for the whole family, ending with two wines to taste.
• Wine Tasting Basics – Learn all the tricks to tasting what makes each vintage unique.
• Exclusive Cellar – This is a private seated tasting of four reserve wines paired with cheese and charcuterie.
• Twilight Tour – This evening walking tour ends with a 30-minute tasting of reserve and spotlight wines paired with cheese and charcuterie.

Not only will you witness the true terroir of this beautiful winery and vineyard when you take a Robert Mondavi Winery Tour, but you’ll experience how that translates to your glass. Making wine is a fine-tuned art where man and nature team up to create something beautiful and delicious.